"A taste of Paradise" Seychelles by Muya

Seychelles Travel Guide: 1,065 reviews and 2,141 photos

Our little mascot, Mahé, on white beachsand

Ah... the Seychelles islands ! A real heaven on earth... Not only for the dreaming landscapes, but also for the kindness of the people. Never saw such a smiling population, always willing to help ... just to please you. And always interested to know where you come from and what you think of the island.

A mysterious origin

Sunset in Paradise

Less than 10 hours flight from Paris, and there they are... the 115 islands of the Seychelles, pure and unspoiled, stretch in the Indian Ocean like a string of pearls.

Situated 4 degrees south of the Equator, their origin remains a mystery to the scientists. Some of them date it back to an ice age, millions of years ago, when India and Africa (then part of what was called the supercontinent of Gondwana) were separated from each other. The fracture between the two is said to have left behind what is now the beautiful archipelago of the Seychelles, stretching over a maritime surface of 1 300 000 km² (with the total surface of the islands representing only 444 km² !). Among the 115 islands, of outstanding natural beauty, only 20 are inhabited. Lush vegetation is the main word here, the Seychelles have 81 unique plant species as well as giant turtles walking freely on some of the islands. A real bird paradise too, perfect for nature lovers ! The underwater of the archipelago is one of the most beautiful in the world, with a great variety of coral, shells and multicolored fish. The coral have suffered a lot of the El Nino phenomenon, but are now slowly recovering (one centimeter a year...)

Granite or coral ?

Map of the archipelago

The Seychelles can be divided into two main groups : the granitic islands and the coralline islands.
Mahé, the main island (150km² and home to the capital Victoria), belongs to the granitic group which count +/- 42 islands. Among them, you find Praslin (the second most important island with 26 km²) and La Digue, the best known of all for this is the one where you travel by ox cart... Then you have all the satellites of Mah? : Sainte Anne Marine Park (with the islands of Sainte Anne, Moyenne, Long, Round and Cerf), Silhouette, Conception, Thérèse ; and the satellites of Praslin with among them Aride, Curieuse, Cousin, Cousine, Félicité, Frégate, Bird, Denis

The other islands, flat and tiny, and isolated from tourists, are part of the coralline group, which can be divided into 4 groups : the group of Aldabra (which has the largest lagoon in the world... 30km ), the group of the Amirantes, Farquhar, and Alphonse.

Of course, we weren't lucky (or rich..) enough to visit all of them ! We just limited ourself to the main island, Mahé, which offers so many things to do already, that ten days were barely enough...
But some day... I hope to go back and visit some of the other islands as well... anyway we ate breadfruit, so if the legend is true, we should go back some day.

Last visit to Seychelles: Jun 2004
Intro Updated Dec 7, 2004
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Reviews (12)

Air Seychelles Transportation (1)

We flew with Air Seychelles from Paris to Mahé. The flight is quite long, +/- 9 hours, but it was ok... I was so excited... more travel advice

Sunsets are magical Things to Do (6)

Take the time to sit and watch the sun go down... Sunsets are so beautiful in the Seychelles, it would be too bad to... more travel advice

Fruits and spices Things to Do (6)

We all use pepper, nutmegs and other spices... but we never see it growing. I really liked to see the plants and trees... more travel advice

How to fish Favorites (5)

If you are lucky and go to the right beach at the right time, you will see fisherman of the Seychelles dragging this... more travel advice

Comments (16)

brewjohnson Feb 4, 2008 at 5:01 PM Report Abuse

Great Seychelles pages! Thanks for sharing!
Dyesebel Jan 22, 2008 at 9:39 AM Report Abuse

Nice page Muriel!I'm looking forward to my upcoming visit to Seychelles! It really looks paradise!
RAZOR-REN Jun 30, 2007 at 4:00 PM Report Abuse

NICE PHOTOS. I BET SEYCHELLES IS A LOVELY PLACE.
Bizbet Dec 20, 2006 at 3:23 AM Report Abuse

I really need help from u, can anyone send me fotos or website address 4 any factory which can mechanically produce Fish traps n Seychelles/n Japan/ even any East Asian country? please forward to my e-mail" abbas_alfaraj@hotmail.com
Freebeacher Jul 14, 2005 at 12:19 AM Report Abuse

Beautiful islands and photos. I hope you get to go back!
Helga67 Jul 10, 2005 at 1:04 AM Report Abuse

Another paradise I like to visit one day.
dejavu2gb Jun 26, 2005 at 6:38 AM Report Abuse

Great page!!! Looks so tranquil and relaxed!! Fantastic pics too...
XenoHumph Jun 16, 2005 at 10:03 AM Report Abuse

Je suis jalouse! Quelles belles iles! Super page a nouveau!
850prc Mar 29, 2005 at 4:37 PM Report Abuse

Very lovely photography, Mumu. That's an especially fine sunset you've posted. I enjoyed my trip to your Seychelles paradise. :)
iwys Jan 3, 2005 at 12:20 PM Report Abuse

What a great page. Once you have held a Coco de Mer in the correct position, there is no going back. What a feeling!